71. Julie Chimes

Julie Chimes was living a successful life in London when a violent attack nearly took her life and unexpectedly opened the door to a profound spiritual transformation. In this conversation, she shares the extraordinary aftermath of that event: the inner voice she called Veritas, experiences of other realities, a new relationship to time, and the way her life gradually became a process of healing, reinvention, and deeper understanding.Julie speaks candidly about the shock of surviving such brutality, the challenge of making sense of what happened, and the surprising ways her awareness expanded afterward. She also reflects on the long arc of recovery, the importance of compassion, the search for authentic spiritual nourishment, and how writing A Stranger in Paradise helped her integrate and share her story. Her reflections on change, resilience, and living without regret are both moving and practical.Julie’s story is unusual, but the questions it raises are universal: What changes when life is stripped down to essentials? How do we respond when reality no longer seems solid? And how can suffering become a doorway to wisdom, creativity, and a fuller embrace of life?